Fort Collins distillery making hand sanitizer for Colorado first responders

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (KDVR) — There’s a new effort to “Support the Shield.” A Fort Collins family business has changed direction and is now focusing on helping first responders.

The Richardson family, known for Otterbox and Angel Armor, has a long history of supporting law enforcement. Now, their distillery, Old Elk Distillery, is helping as well.

Old Elk Distillery CEO, Luis Gonzalez said, “It wasn’t really a decision for us. It was a quick switch for us to adjust the distillery and cater to the call of sanitizer.”

They have all the necessary tools, equipment and knowledge to make hand sanitizer.

“We’ve kept a piece of our production open to fill the needs of our consumers who are big fans of the brand, but also shifted a majority of operations to produce sanitizer,” Gonzalez said.

With the help and connections of JC Richardson from Angel Armor, they are donating the sanitizer to Shield616, who is making care kits for first responders around the state.

“The response has been overwhelming. We are super blessed and fortunate to be able to do this,” Richardson said. “Hearing from Jake, the response from officers is similar to getting a vest. I mean, the need is that great right now.”

Old Elk Distillery has produced more than 400 gallons of sanitizer so far. This week, they expect to produce about 2,800 gallons, and they say they will keep it up as long as the materials are available.